The Phenomenological Orientation Of Religious Selves And My ...
The Phenomenological Orientation of Religious
Selves and My Classification of Buddhist Doctrines
Yu-Kwan Ng
Abstract
In this essay an investigation of the religious selves is undertaken, which then ini-
tiates my complex study of the classification of Buddhist doctrines developed in India,
China, Tibet and Japan. I propose the postulates of the self to be physical self, aes-
thetic self, moral self, cognitive self, self of direct enlightenment, self of submission to
an other-power and antinomic self of enlightenment and ignorance. From the view that
only the last three selves are religious and phenomenological in nature, discussions
are focused on them exclusively in this essay, to see how they can be related to my
classification of Buddhist doctrines. This sort of thorough study of Buddhist philosophy
has seldom been seen in international academic circles, including those in China,
Taiwan and Hong Kong. It is expected thereby that a new understanding of Buddhist
philosophy in general, and Buddhist religious thought in particular, can be achieved.
On Classification of Buddhist Doctrines
Buddhist thought is fertile and sophisticated, every school having its
own unique doctrines or viewpoints. In order to synthesize these different
viewpoints and put them consistently under the name of S´a¯kyamuni the
Buddha, it is necessary for every
school to classify them in terms of
difference in time, location and
attending audience of the Dharma
preaching by the one single
Buddha. By doing so, it is also pos-
sible for the school to evaluate all
the Buddhist viewpoints and stress
its own superiority over the others.
This is what was called “classifica-
tion of Buddhist doctrines” in the
historical
development
of
Buddhism.
The author and Abe Masao in Kyoto, 2002, the latter being an important member of the
Kyoto School.
Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy, Academia Sinica
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Nishida Kitaro, founder of the Kyoto School, in relation to the
Nishitani Keiji, an important member of the Kyoto School, in
classification of Buddhist doctrines.
relation to the classification of Buddhist doctrines.
Religious Self and Phenomenological
Consequently the self does not attach itself to the
Orientation
phenomena and induce perverse viewpoints about
In the study of the classification of Buddhist
reality. It follows that the self does not commit per-
doctrines, I applied the postulation of the self to dif-
verse behavior, and thereby attains enlightenment
ferentiate the doctrines advocated by various
and liberation.
Buddhist schools. Due to the basic understanding
The Self of Submission to an Other-
that the objective of a religion is the transcendence
Power
of sentient beings’ major sufferings and pains, and
Perplexed by sufferings and pain, sentient
the establishment of an empirical world in transfor-
beings feel too weak to free themselves from these
mative and phenomenological nature akin to what
troubles. They in consequence submit themselves to
E. Husserl entitled “die Lebenswelt”, only the three
an external other-power sincerely and humbly, hop-
religious selves postulated by myself need to be
ing that He could, with great compassion, help
studied carefully. They are namely, the self of direct
release them from their troubles, so that they could
enlightenment, the self of submission to an other-
attain enlightenment. This other-power may be God
power, and the antinomic self of enlightenment and
or Amita¯bha. In doing so, one must repent deeply
ignorance.
and thoroughly for what he has done in the past and
The Self of Direct Enlightenment
confess himself to be impotent and shameful. On
This self possesses a strong insight, capable of
the basis of this feeling of impotence and shame,
penetrating into the essence or true nature of phe-
one will initiate a strong desire for a complete
nomena from their peripheral level, and realizing
breakthrough on his troubles, rendering him to face
their essence of dependent origination and thus
humiliation and death bravely.
being devoid of an ever-abiding substance.
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Disappearance of the man and
the ox (the man being subjectivity
and the ox objectivity), symboliz-
ing the transcendent nature of
Buddhism.
Antinomic Self of Enlightenment
tion of the Buddhist doctrines as follows:
This self appears in daily life in an ordinary
i) Renounce all extremities and abide by the
mind which involves both ignorant and enlightened
Middle Way.(S´a¯kyamuni the Buddha and
-
factors. There is an internal antinomy of ignorance
the Agama-su¯tras)
and enlightenment which on the one hand are con-
ii) Certify all dharmas as being and the self as
tradictory in nature, and yet embrace each other on
nothing.(Sarva¯sti-va¯da and Sautra¯ntika)
the other. In the midst of this self there exists con-
iii) Realize all dharmas as in empty nature
stantly a rigorous struggle between evil and good,
without
disintegrating
them.(the
sin and innocence, respectively; one must transcend
Prajña¯pa¯ramita¯ literature and Ma¯dhyami-
existentially and subjectively the duality between
ka)
ignorance and enlightenment, and finally overcome
iv) All dharmas appear as the result of the rep-
and disintegrate this duality, resulting in the domi-
resentation of consciousness.(Vijña¯ na-
nation of mere enlightenment. In this event of reli-
va¯da)
gious transformation, one must depend on himself
v) Establish knowledge in retaining all forms.
completely and take action whole-heartedly. Other-
(Sa¯ka¯rajña¯na-va¯da)
power in whatever sort has no role to play at all.
vi) Establish knowledge in renouncing all
forms. (Anaka¯rajña¯na-va¯da)
Conclusion
vii) Emptiness and being integrate each other.
With the understanding of the self as men-
(Yoga¯ca¯ra-Ma¯dhyamika)
tioned above, I propose an all-embracing classifica-
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The author's writing on Ch'an Buddhism, which advises transfor-
mation of sentient beings freely and without hindrance.
Author's writing. Absolute Nothingness signifies the profound
Buddhism)
subjectivity of Buddhism.
x) Attain ultimate happiness by submission to
viii) Attain one-sided enlightenment with
an other-power. (Pure Land Buddhism)
Buddha-nature.(Tatha¯gatagarbha thought
xi) Build up the basis within the dialectical
and Hua-yen Buddhism)
place. (philosophy of the Kyoto School)
ix) Attain full enlightenment with Buddha-
xii) Decompose Buddha-nature. (Japanese
nature. (T’ien-t’ai Buddhism and Ch’an
Critical Buddhism)
The original paper was published in Satya-bhisamaya: A Buddhist Studies Quarterly 33 (2005): 91-157.
References:
In Sanskrit:
1. Mu-lamadhyamakaka-rika- de Na-ga-rjuna avec la Prasannapa-da Commentaire de Candraki-rti. Ed. Louis de la Vallée Poussin,
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2. Vijñaptima-trata-siddhi, deux traités de Vasubandhu, Vim
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. s´ika- avec le
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In Chinese and Japanese:
3. Ng, Yu-Kwan, Yoga-ca-ra Phenomenology1: Vasubandhu and Dharmapa-la. Taipei: Student Book Co., Ltd. 2002, 334 pp.
4. Ng, Yu-Kwan, A Philosophical Interpretation of Na-ga-rjuna’s Madhyamaka-ka-rika-. Taipei: The Commercial Press, 1997, 531 pp.
5. Ng, Yu-Kwan, An Analysis of Husserl’s Phenomenology. Taipei: The Commercial Press, 2001, 164 pp.
6. Sato, Ttsuei, A Study of the T’ien-t’ai Master Chih-i. Kyoto: Hyakkaen, 1961. 786 pp.
7. Hanaoka, Eiko, The Philosophy of Absolute Nothingness. Kyoto: Seikai Risosha, 2002, 243 pp.
In European Languages:
8. Husserl, Edmund, Cartesianische Meditationen und Pariser Vorträge. Haag: Martinus Nijhoff, 1973, 249 S.
9. Husserl, Edmund, Ideen zu einer reinen Phänomenologie und phänomenologischen Philosophie, Erstes Buch. Haag: Martinus
Nijhoff, 1976, 476 S.
10. Ng, Yu-kwan, T’ien-t’ai Buddhism and Early Ma-dhyamika. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1993, 254 pp.
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